Christmas Disaster - Tenjo Style
by Durbe the Barian
Summary: Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Christmas time is here! If only the Tenjos could get into the spirit of Christmas without killing themselves. But what can they do with an enthusiastic little boy, a slightly forgetful older brother, and a father who doesn't know what to get his children?


**Zexal Oneshot:**

**Christmas Disaster - Tenjo style**

**Family/Humpr **

**Dr. Faker/KaitoT. Haruto T.**

**Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Christmas time is here! If only the Tenjos could get into the spirit of Christmas without killing themselves. But what can they do with an enthusiastic little boy, a slightly forgetful older brother, and a father who doesn't know what to get his children?**

**(Don't own Zexal. If I did...I dunno. I can't think of anything at this point in time.)**

**A/N: Truth be told, this was my very first oneshot. I actually wrote it in the summer time and I didn't feel like posting it until the time was right. Sorry for any OOC-ness Merry Christmas! XD**

* * *

Christmas Disaster – Tenjo style

* * *

The entirety of Heartland City was covered in a soft blanket of snow. That said only one thing. Christmas was on its way. Schools were closed for a week, giving both teachers and students some time to spend with their families. Homes were filled with Christmas trees and bright and cheery decorations. However, one house was a little behind on such things. The Tenjo house.

After the recent destruction of Heartland Tower, the family of two sons and a father had chosen to move into a small house near Heartland Middle school. Haruto had been going to school there for the past few months, and Kaito had gotten a job as a substitute dueling instructor. Along with Dr. Faker's job as a scientist, the three of them were able to live quite comfortably. But when Christmas started to roll around, a whole new kind of anxiety lit up in the Tenjo boys. What to give their friends and family for Christmas. Haruto had it all figured out. He was going to give everybody a small picture of them in his eyes. That included his father and big brother. But as for Kaito...

"Hey, Nii-san," Haruto said one afternoon. Christmas Eve, to be more precise. They were on their way back home from the grocery store, with Haruto holding the smaller bag in his arms and Kaito holding the bigger bags in his hands.

Kaito turned his eyes to his little brother. "Yeah, Haruto?" he replied, curious as to what he was going to say. Haruto had been unusually quiet for the past few days, but Kaito didn't think much of it. The cold had a tendency to silence Haruto for long periods of time.

Haruto took a deep breath. "What are you planning on getting Otousan for Christmas?" he finally asked. He had seen Kaito go off on his own about a week before school let out, and when asked about it, Kaito said nothing.

Kaito froze where he stood, the groceries in his hands hanging limply by his sides. Haruto sighed. "You forgot, didn't you?" Haruto accused.

"Don't be silly, Haruto," Kaito denied. "I didn't forget."

Haruto squeezed the the groceries a bit more than he had, his brow knitting into a scowl. "Okay, fine," Kaito admitted. "I forgot about Christmas."

"I still can't believe you'd forget it," Haruto said. "You had, like, a billion signs around you that said Christmas was on the way. All the decorations in the trees, the lights on the houses," he paused briefly; "the **calender," **he added, earning an awkward smile from Kaito. "And then there's Chris calling just yesterday to remind you that he was spending Christmas Eve with us."

Kaito was starting to turn bright red. When it came to holidays, such as Valentines day, White day, or Christmas, he usually forgot about them pretty quickly. It had been almost six years since the Tenjo family last celebrated Christmas or any other holiday, so that didn't help Kaito's inability to remember such things. And Haruto would not stop getting on his case about it. "So," Haruto began, "what are you going to get him?"

The fatal question. Kaito rubbed his head awkwardly. "You don't even know that much?!" Haruto asked in disbelief. Kaito simply chuckled in response, all the while begging for something to happen that would get him out of his situation. Haruto let out a big groan. "I can't believe you, Nii-san! It's not that hard."

"Alright," Kaito said, lowering his face to Haruto's. "What do you think I should give him?"

Haruto stopped, frozen like Kaito had done. "Uh," went Haruto, attempting to make out a stutter. "W-Well, just get him something he'll like."

Kaito gave Haruto a long stare. "Did you give Otousan this kind of advice?" he asked.

"He didn't ask me," Haruto groaned.

Kaito responded to this with a small laugh. He'd been doing that quite a bit more often as of late.

"Kattobingu da ore!"

Kaito and Haruto knew instinctively who said something like that. While many of his friends were starting to say it, or use variations of it, only the owner of that catchphrase could say it in such an annoying manner. Kaito and Haruto looked up to see Yuma Tsukumo followed by the twins, Shark and Rio, and their friend, Durbe. They were all wearing warm clothing, appropriate for the weather that day. Yuma was wearing a red jacket with a white hood while the twins were wearing a light blue trench coat and a dark blue sweater respectively. Durbe, however, was wearing a grey trench coat, a green scarf, and his usual spectacles. His grey hair had some snow sparkling in it, indicating they had been out for a while. That, and all their noses, with the exception of Durbe's, were bright red.

Yuma took notice of Kaito and waved his hand in the air. "Oi! Haruto! Kaito!"

"Ohaiyou, Yuma-kun!" Haruto said, waving his hand in response. "Merry Christmas Eve!"

"Merry Christmas Eve!" Rio said. "So, what are you two doing out here?" Then she chuckled. "And who bought you that jacket?"

Haruto was wearing a bright blue jacket and scarf. Kaito had bought it for him on his birthday, the one holiday he can seem to remember (Other than his own.), and Haruto loved it. Especially since it had the mask of Esper Sparrow, his favorite TV show hero, embroidered onto the left breast pocket. To some people, mostly Rio and Shark, this was a childish jacket. But to Haruto, it was a beautiful birthday present. "Kaito did," Haruto answered, looking up at his brother.

"Wow," Yuma exclaimed admirably. "That's nice. I didn't think Kaito had such good taste."

"I'm right here, Yuma," Kaito snapped. "Or have you forgotten?"

"Wha?" went Yuma.

Haruto then started chuckling. "Maybe he's got your memory problem, Kaito," he teased.

Astral then emerged from the Emperor's Key around Yuma's neck. Durbe instinctively tensed up. As a Barian, he still wasn't used to being near Astral. Call it his crazy Barian instincts, but any Astral being had this aura around them that made Durbe very nervous. Astral looked over to Durbe. "Oh, Ohaiyou, Durbe," he said. "What are you doing here?"

Durbe wasn't sure how he was to answer it. Both he and Shark had made a bet. If Durbe lost a duel against Shark, he would have to spend Christmas with both Shark and Rio that year. They dueled, he lost, though the loss was close to purposeful. In the Barian World, Christmas, or any holiday for that matter, was no more than a word in the Barian Library, where Durbe had made it a habit to visit when he had the chance. He was more than anxious to see what kind of holiday would get an entire city in a frenzy. That, and he enjoyed the thought of being in Rio and Shark's company. So, after leaving a note on a Baria Crystal to inform the other Emperors where he was going, he left for the Kamishiro residence.

Durbe was trying to think of an answer that would satisfy Astral, while at the same time not sounding overly embarrassing, when Haruto's voice went through the air. "Oh yeah! Nii-san. We need to get home. Otousan wants to handle the Christmas dinner."

"Since when did Otousan learn how to cook?" Kaito thought. The only people who ever cooked in the family were Kaito and his mother. But now, it was just Kaito. "Alright, Haruto," he said, holding up one of the bags. "Let's get going."

"Hai!" Haruto said. "Sayonara, Yuma-kun, Durbe-kun, Shark-kun, Rio-san!" Then the two brothers proceeded to leave for home.

* * *

"We're home, Otousan!" Kaito called as he entered the door.

No reply.

Kaito simply went, "Hm." Then he saw a note on the refrigerator.

"_Kaito, Haruto,"_ it went. Definitely from Faker. His handwriting was always big, like he typed it instead of wrote it. "_Went to go get the Christmas tree. Welcome Chris for me when he gets here. - Faker."_

A single thought ran through Kaito's head. "How many fathers use their name on a note for their kids?"

He turned to face the living room. "Otousan's out right now, Haruto," he said. "Chances are he might be a while. Want something to eat?"

"Sure!" Haruto said. "Just in time for the newest _Sparrow_ episode."

Kaito was laughing inside at his brother. How Astral managed to get Haruto hooked on that blue-clad superkid after a single afternoon at the Tsukumo house, he'll never know. But Haruto was always laughing or just plain happy whenever he watched _The Sparrow,_ so he had no complaints. Kaito made a couple of quick sandwiches and entered the living room, where Haruto was sitting on the couch, his eyes glued to the TV. No doubt about it. _Sparrow_ was on. He placed the food on the coffee table, where he was sure his brother would see it when he returned to reality, and then returned to the kitchen to put the groceries away.

Fifteen minutes after lunch, Kaito was in the kitchen doing the dishes when a knock reached Kaito's ears, and amazingly, Haruto's. (The _Sparrow_ episode that week was close to a half-hour long.) "Coming," Kaito said, wiping his hand on a rag before he reached for the doorknob. When he opened the door, his eyes nearly fell out of their sockets. Chris was standing before him, wearing his usual blue—and-white outfit, with a black trench coat to keep him warm. He looked slightly irritated, momentarily reminding Kaito of the time when Chris had left both him and Haruto behind. But he shook it off and recovered. "Hey, Chris," he said, trying to sound as casual as possible, so as not to arouse his suspicions.

"Chris!" Haruto said, jumping and grabbing onto Chris' waist.

That never ceased to amaze Kaito. The only person who could pull Haruto away from the TV when _The Sparrow_ was on was Chris. Funny...in more than one sense.

Chris gave Haruto a big hug. "It's good to see you two again," he said, unknowingly relaxing the tension in Kaito's arms with his voice. "How are you doing?"

"I'm doing fine," Haruto said. "Kaito's been making sure that I stay warm."

Chris had to chuckle. Then he pulled a small present out of his bag and handed it to Haruto. "Don't open it yet, Haruto," he said. "You can only open it on Christmas morning, otherwise it won't be as fun to open at all."

"Okay," Haruto said, nodding his head up and down as hard as he could.

Kaito stood behind Haruto, all the while smiling at the sight. Chris always had a way with kids, no doubt. Chris, noticing that Kaito was eyeing the scene, stood up and handed Kaito a present as well. "Here, Kaito," he said.

Kaito looked at the present and turned red. "I didn't get anything for you though, Chris," he admitted.

"Oh, really?" Chris asked teasingly.

"Kaito forgot about the holiday again," Haruto said.

"Well it's not the first time," Chris laughed. "Remember when Kaito forgot it was April Fools Day and he was freaking out when several kids from dueling school pulled a bunch of pranks on him?"

Haruto started laughing. "Yeah!" he said. "That was hilarious! It was actually kinda surprising that Kaito didn't figure it out after the first three gags."

Kaito could feel himself shrinking away. Then the present in Chris' hands was thrust into Kaito's. "You don't need to get me anything, Kaito," Chris said, followed by a quick hug to both Tenjo boys. "Seeing the two of you again is all the present I need."

"Arigato," Kaito said softly. He was hoping that Chris wouldn't hear that and tease him.

Then he returned the hug.

* * *

(Meanwhile)

Dr. Faker didn't know what to do. While he wrote a note saying he was getting a tree for Christmas, that was only one thing on his very long list. He also needed to get a present for Kaito and Haruto. It was their first real Christmas as a family in a long time, and he was clueless as to what to give them. He knew Haruto loved _The Sparrow,_ but he didn't know what Kaito loved other than dueling and possibly cooking. Over the past few weeks, Kaito had volunteered to cook, though he never explained why. (Truth be told, he did it because Faker is a terrible cook and he was in no mood to see anything burned in the kitchen.)

* * *

About an hour after Chris arrived, and Kaito had prepared a room for him so he wouldn't have to sleep on the couch that night, Dr. Faker returned to the house. When Haruto heard the car park, he jumped off the couch and opened the door. "He's back!" he said.

Kaito got off the couch as well and went up to his brother. Faker had just gotten out of the car. "Oi, Otousan," he said, tempted to raise his hand to wave to him.

Faker looked at his sons and smiled. "Did you get a tree, Otousan?" Haruto asked, jumping out of the house without his shoes on and running up to his father.

"Haruto!" Kaito exclaimed. "Get back inside and put your shoes on. You'll catch a cold."

"No, I won't!" Haruto denied.

"Haruto," Faker said, picking his youngest son up from the snowy ground. "Let's get you back inside. If you catch a cold, you won't be able to help decorate."

"So you got one?" Haruto asked eagerly.

Faker nodded. "I did," he said.

"Yay!"

Kaito knew Haruto wanted a big tree. But when he got a good look at the tree that Faker had purchased, he thought that maybe Haruto should have pointed out how big he wanted it to be. "Uh, Haruto," he said, trying his best to sound calm.

"Yeah?" Haruto asked, staring at the tree in awe.

"Isn't this a little too big?" he asked.

Haruto couldn't see the top very well. "Yeah," Haruto admitted. "But who cares? It's perfect!"

"And we can help decorate it," Yuma said, the Kamishiro twins and Durbe beside him. He had shown up after Faker came with the tree and invited himself in. This didn't surprise Kaito in the least, as he was used to Yuma showing up uninvited. The number of times he actually called ahead of time could be counted on one hand.

"Sure!" Haruto said. "But we have to keep quiet. Chris is taking a nap right now."

"Okay," Yuma said. "Kattobingu da-"

A hard glance from Kaito made him clam up.

"I'll be watching, if it is all the same to you," Durbe said, finding a place to sit on the couch. He was going to help Shark and Rio with their own tree later on, so he wanted to know what he was doing before he did anything stupid.

Kaito rubbed his forehead like he would when he was expecting a headache. "I'm going to get a ladder," he said, making his way to the backyard.

"Kaito!" Haruto whined. "What do you need a ladder for? You can reach the top of the tree just fine with a step stool."

Kaito then turned back and leaned against the wall. "Really?" he asked.

Haruto was looking at Kaito, who was standing beside the tree. The Tenjo family, especially Kaito, was slightly shorter than the average person. When standing next to the tree, Haruto could see that the tree itself was almost twice Kaito's height. "Okay, good point," Haruto relented, allowing Kaito to get his ladder.

* * *

Allowing Yuma to help in decorating a tree is never a good idea. As Kaito stood on the ladder, decorating the higher places of the tree, Durbe and Astral watched from the couch. "I'm confused," Durbe said. "Why would humans bring a lump of wood into their house like this?"

"I was confused about that as well," Astral admitted. (Talking to Durbe wasn't too difficult a task.) "But Yuma said that humans place things called 'decorations' on that lump of wood's long, green spines. Then humans place peculiar boxes underneath the tree to protect them until Christmas morning. Then they unwrap them and see what a man called Santa Claus hid within the boxes. He said that was the true meaning of Christmas."

"Are you sure that's what Christmas is all about?" Durbe asked skeptically. "Lumps of wood and peculiar boxes? Shark-kun and Rio-chan said that Christmas is a time of year when friends and family get together and exchange gifts."

"That would sound like a more reasonable purpose for Christmas," Astral admitted. "I was merely saying what Yuma had told me."

Durbe wanted to laugh. But he didn't. He noticed something off about the tree. It was swaying. "Is that the proper function of a Christmas tree?" he asked.

"Yuma's does not do that," Astral said worriedly. "So I am assuming not."

Speaking of Yuma, Kaito was the next person to notice that the tree was starting to sway, and had to hold onto the tree's branches to avoid falling off the ladder. "Nii-san," Haruto said, "what's the matter?"

"Is somebody behind the tree?" Kaito asked.

Yuma then poked his head out from behind the tree, confirming Kaito's suspicions. "I was just doin' some decorating back here," he said. "I'll be out in a minute."

"Matte! Yuma!" Durbe screamed.

(A little late, Durbe.)

When Yuma pulled himself out from behind the tree, the tree was sent forward, taking Kaito down with it. And Haruto was underneath Kaito. Realizing that he was about to land on his brother, Kaito closed his eyes and braced for impact.

Bang!

Boom!

And Crash!

Kaito didn't land on Haruto, thank goodness. Instead, Faker pushed his youngest son out of the way at the last minute and Kaito landed on him, the tree landing on Kaito's back. Everybody remained still. It was as if even the smallest movement would bring more disaster. "What's going on?" Chris asked. Apparently, all the noise woke the eldest Arclight boy from his nap. He rubbed his still sleepy eyes and stared at the sight. "Nani?" he asked in disbelief. "What happened here? It looks like a bomb went off."

"If Yuma can be counted," Kaito said, "then yes, one did."

"Are you okay, Nii-san? Otousan?" Haruto asked worriedly.

"We'll live," Kaito mumbled.

Then Durbe, Haruto, Shark, and Yuma started pulling the tree of the Tenjos. (It was that heavy a tree.)

Kaito threw his father a glare. "Can't we just do the stockings, like we did when Haruto was a baby?" he asked. It was clear that the tree was not going to be easy to fix. After all, it had a big Kaito-shaped impression on one side.

"Well, look at the bright side," Haruto said. "We used plastic decorations, so nothing's broken."

"Other than this thing," Yuma said, holding up a horse shaped nicknack with a broken head.

"Aw!" Haruto whined. "This was an old Christmas present from Kaito to Okaasan!"

Kaito buried his face in his arms. "Oh, please," he thought.

* * *

Sleep that night did not come easily. For Haruto, it was because of excitement. But for Faker and Kaito, it was because of particularly sore backs. Kaito especially, who took the full brunt of a heavy tree that stood at twice his height. They had eventually decided to use the stockings instead of redecorating the entire tree if they were ever lucky to get the tree back up.

Kaito was asleep by around 3 o'clock if not earlier. Just as he was starting to get comfortable in his bed, someone, about the size of a little child, started jumping on him. "Nii-san!" Haruto said happily. "Nii-san! It's Christmas! Get up!"

Kaito wasn't ready to wake up yet. He wasn't yet ready for the early Christmas party that they were going to have with Yuma and his friends. He pulled the covers further up and covered his face. Haruto grouched. Then he grinned. The door opened then closed. About a minute later, it opened up again. Then Kaito felt a piece of ice being shoved down the back of his shirt. In seconds, he was wide awake. "Haruto!" he exclaimed.

Haruto was on the ground, laughing his head off. "You should have seen the look on your face, Nii-san!" he laughed. "It was hilarious!"

Kaito grinned a little bit. "Not as hilarious as this is going to be!" he said, darting forward and grabbing his brother before he had a chance to move. Dueling people with Numbers definitely improved his reflexes. Then he proceeded the tickle his little brother, who was starting to laugh uncontrollably.

"Okay, okay, I give up!" Haruto laughed.

Kaito was starting to laugh a little bit himself when his door opened up, revealing Chris in blue pajamas, rubbing one of his eyes. "Are you two always this loud in the morning?" he asked.

Kaito then remembered that Chris was no morning person. Even when Chris was teaching him how to duel, he had a ridiculously hard time waking up in the morning. Oftentimes, Kaito would try to wake him up, even resorting to the ice trick on one occasion. (Before you ask, that didn't work either.) Kaito grinned and rubbed his head. "Sorry, Chris," he said. "I forgot you were here."

"You forget a lot of things when you first wake up," Haruto mumbled, earning some more tickling from his brother.

Chris smiled at the sight of the two brothers playing with each other.

After having a light breakfast, the Tenjo family and Chris Arclight prepared the house for Yuma and his friends. At around 10:00, the guests arrived. Presents were quickly handed.

* * *

Haruto's were the first to go around.

In order, the pictures were:

Faker and Haruto holding hands. (Parent and son.)

Kaito and Haruto dueling together. (Brothers, duh.)

Yuma protecting Haruto from Tron. (Protector and dear friend.)

Rio and Shark smiling at Haruto. (Really good friends. It is worth noting that Haruto has never actually talked to them.)

Durbe standing beside Haruto. Durbe was drawn slightly sloppier than the rest, but Haruto explained that it was because he was trying to draw his Barian form and he screwed up. (Allies, according to Haruto.)

For Kotori, Haruto had drawn the moment with the caramel when he was looking for Kaito. It was an attempt to show his gratitude.

For Chris, he had drawn a brief moment with Chris, Haruto and Kaito at Heartland Tower. (Big brother figure. Kaito was in silent agreement.)

* * *

After Haruto had finished handing out the pictures, more presents were handed out. Durbe was slightly curious when he saw the new green scarf that Shark and Rio had pitched in and got him, even eyeing it to make sure it wasn't deadly. "Merry Christmas, Durbe!" Rio said, jumping onto the Barian's back.

"Rio," Shark muttered, "get off of him. You're cutting off his breathing."

"Oh," Rio said, getting off of Durbe's back. "Gomen, Durbe."

Durbe had to sit down on the couch to recover.

Hart then started jumping up and down excitedly. In his hands was his presents from Faker and Chris. A _Sparrow_ mask from Faker and a dvd of _The Sparrow_ TV show from Chris. He hugged those who gave him those presents with happiness and gratitude. "Arigato! Otousan! Chris!"

"Well, you're very welcome, Haruto," Chris said. It was actually easy for him to find a present suitable for Haruto, because he knew that Haruto loved _The Sparrow_ and thought that he would enjoy watching his favorite episodes again.

Chris then noticed Kaito eyeing the present that Chris had given to him. The wrapping was removed, leaving nothing to hide the secret gift. "So, Kaito," Chris said. "Do you like it?"

Kaito didn't know how to begin. He was thrilled beyond words, but he was also embarrassed. What was in his hands was a dvd of a show called _Cyborg Hunter._ It was a really unpopular TV show when compared to _The Sparrow,_ but Kaito had loved it since episode one. Chris had figured that out when Kaito was around 13 ½. "I, uh," went Kaito, trying to find the right words to describe how he was feeling.

"I remember you once mentioned you loved that show," Chris said. "I thought it would be appropriate to bring a part of your past back."

Kaito looked down at the dvd in his hands. "No way!" Yuma said into Kaito's ears, sending the Number Hunter through the ceiling. (Not literally, but it was pretty darn close.) "You loved _Cyborg Hunter_?! My sister talked about that once. She said it was a really stupid show, but my dad couldn't get enough of it."

"Neither could Kaito, apparently," Chris chuckled.

Kaito turned bright red. Chris had found out about his near-obsession with _Cyborg Hunter_ after a practice duel. Both Kaito and Chris had worn themselves out during the duel and were in the rec room, sitting on the couch, resting their limbs. Out of sheer boredom, Kaito turned on the TV to a random channel and saw _Cyborg Hunter_ was on. About halfway into the show, Kaito jumped up and said, "Go get him, Hunter! Take that cyborg down!"

Chris gave Kaito a really strange look and Kaito sat back down on the couch, totally embarrassed about what he had done. When it came to that TV show, he acted like Haruto did when he watched _The Sparrow._

Astral then appeared out of the Emperor's Key. "Yuma, what exactly is _Cyborg Hunter_?" he asked. "It sounds interesting."

"Oh," went Yuma. "It's a show about this teenager who's brother was kidnapped by this guy called the Head Cyborg. So the teenager, also known as Cyborg Hunter, joins this organization that specializes in defeating cyborgs who use their new parts to steal things or hurt people so he can find the guy who took his brother and get him back."

"Interesting," Astral said.

Then he looked at Kaito, who seemed slightly down. ←[Was still slightly embarrassed but wanted to explain.]

Haruto looked at the cover of the movie. The Cyborg Hunter had a look on his face that reminded him of somebody. If only he could put his finger on it. [→ Kaito.]

More presents were exchanged, but Faker and Kaito pulled themselves out of the festivities. Kaito, mainly because of embarrassment, Faker because of slight shame. He didn't find a present for Kaito. Meanwhile, Kaito was sitting on the couch, his chin resting on his hand, thinking, "I didn't give Otousan his present."

* * *

While Kaito didn't voice it, he was incredibly grateful that Chris had given him that present. So, after everybody had left that afternoon, Haruto put it in the dvd player and sat on the couch. Within five minutes, Haruto instantly saw why Kaito liked the main character so much. Not only was he downright cool, he was also kind and caring to his little brother. In fact, the first episode began with the Cyborg Hunter taking care of his little brother because he'd caught a cold. (Deja vu, anybody?) Kaito had kept his distance from Chris during the movie, mainly because he knew that Chris was going to tease his reluctance to speak up during the episode. Fortunately, Haruto handled most of the speaking in his stead.

Half the time, Kaito wanted to act like a child and say something to the Cyborg Hunter, but he knew that Chris would say something, if Faker didn't say something first. Faker was the first person in the family to discover how much Kaito loved _Cyborg Hunter_. Kaito had even dressed up as the Hunter for Halloween once. He was around 13 and Chris helped him with the costume. Droite, who was dressed up as Photon Butterspy, was the first to see it and hadn't stopped laughing for about an hour when she figured it out. Gauche was confused about it for the whole party. (He was dressed up as Excalibur.)

By the time the second episode was nearing completion, Chris decided to take his leave. He had promised his family that he would be home in time for Christmas dinner, the time when the Arclight family exchanged presents. He headed for the door when a big scene rolled around. The Cyborg Hunter was on the ground, his forehead bleeding from a shallow wound. A man was standing beside him, staring down at him. "_Who are you, young man?_" he asked, the hunter looking up. "_What is your name?"_

Chris smiled at the boys as he left the room. As he slid his shoes on, he heard the hunter reply, "_My name is Hiro. No, I am..."_ Chris' ears pricked up.

"_**I am the Cyborg Hunter!"**_

Chris poked his head into the room. Kaito's face was bright red, his arm high above his head. Haruto and Faker were looking at him, wide-eyed. "Kaito?" Chris asked. "Was that you?"

Kaito turned even more red. Chris and Haruto started laughing. "18 years old, and you still act like a child," Chris laughed, leaning against the door for support.

"I never thought I'd hear you say that, Nii-san!" Haruto said, falling on the ground in laughter. "That was seriously cool!"

"If it's cool," Kaito said, "then you don't have to laugh at me! Stop it, Haruto. It's embarrassing."

"I haven't heard you say that line since you were a child," Faker said, holding in his laughter. "You were about 7 years old."

"Otousan!" Kaito said. Then he sniffed. "Is something burning?"

"Other than your temper?" Haruto asked. Kaito threw him a serious glare. "Okay, I'll go in the kitchen and check."

"Haruto," went Kaito.

A puff of black smoke came out of the kitchen. Then every person in the room had to cover their ears to block out the ringing sound of the fire alarm. Haruto ran into the room. "Otousan! Nii-san!" he said. "The ham's on fire!"

Kaito and Faker ran into the kitchen to see a blackened ham in the oven. Kaito didn't have the heart to tell his father that it was because Faker had set the temperature far too high. Instead, he rubbed his head. "I think I'll handle the dinner tonight," he said.

Faker could not object.

And Kaito accepted no help from Chris.

* * *

After Chris had reluctantly left the house, Kaito glued himself to the kitchen, preparing something edible for dinner. A simple meal when compared to the ham that they were planning on having, but nobody complained. Haruto decided to lighten the mood by asking Kaito questions about _Cyborg Hunter,_ but Kaito remained unusually silent. So Haruto eventually kept his mouth shut.

That night, when the boys had gone to bed, Faker remained in the living room, staring at the fire. "Aren't you going to sleep?"

Faker turned around. Kaito was leaning against the wall, his arms folded across his pajama-clad chest. He looked tired, which made sense. The last few days had hardly been easy for him. "I thought you were asleep," Faker said, turning back to the flames.

"Seeing you look like your dog died didn't sit well with me," Kaito said, advancing towards his father. He sat down next to him. "What's the matter?"

Faker placed his hand over his face. Byron had often asked him questions like that when he was in the lab. He laughed softly. "I suppose I ruined your idea of Christmas," he said.

Kaito looked at his father, wide-eyed. Then he started laughing. "That's what you were worried about?" he asked, a slight grin creeping onto his face. Faker looked at him curiously. "Name one Christmas that you didn't screw something up on."

He had him there. It had usually been Kaito and his mother who handled the decorations and things like that. Faker had absolutely no talent in such things. "You don't have to try so hard," Kaito said, staring into the flickering flames. "You made Haruto happy. So that makes me happy too."

Faker looked at his son happily. When did he get so grown up? It was only a few hours ago that Kaito had been a 7 year old kid again. Faker then handed his son a paper bag. "Huh?" went Kaito.

"I wasn't able to get you anything for Christmas," Faker admitted. "But I found this in the attic. I think you'll like it."

Kaito slowly pulled the present out of the paper bag. Then his eyes widened with surprise. It was an old photograph of Kaito and his mother. The two of them were at the table, playing a quick game of _Duel Monsters._ Kaito's face had a nice big grin. His mother was wearing a more Kaito-like smile. "This is...," Kaito said, moments before pressing the picture closer to his chest. "I thought I lost it."

"I found it at the villa a long time ago," Faker said. "I put it in the attic and forgot about it." He placed his hand on his son's back. "I know you miss her around this time, so I guess I try harder than I should."

Kaito was all set to cry. "Arigato, Otousan," he said. He raised his head a bit. "It's...perfect."

Haruto then walked up to his father and brother. In his hands was a small box. "Otousan," he said, sending a chill up their spines. "Here." He held the present to Faker.

Kaito was starting to turn red as Faker opened it up. The present was a brown watch. "Haruto," he said. "Where did you get this?"

"I didn't get it for you, Otousan," Haruto said. "Nii-san bought it."

"Haruto," Kaito said.

"Kaito?" Faker asked.

Kaito lowered his head. "I noticed that your old one was pretty messed up," he said. "I thought you may have broken it when we dueled you. So I got you a new one last week."

"So that's where you went last week," Haruto said. "That also explains what happened to your allowance."

The watch was a little on the expensive side. Kaito had to spend both his allowance and part of his paycheck to get it. But there was no way he was about to tell Faker that.

Haruto then looked down at the picture. "Is that Okaasan?" he asked.

Kaito looked up to Haruto. "Yeah," he answered.

"What was she like back then?"

"Well," Faker said. "I think it's safe to say Kaito takes more from her than he does from me."

"Otousan," Kaito nearly whined.

"She was very kind to others, but when it came to people she cared about, you had to watch it. When she got mad, she was a force to be reckoned with." A sly grin crossed his face. "She was also a huge fan of _Cyborg Hunter."_

_"_Otousan!" Kaito exclaimed.

"She was?!" Haruto nearly screamed.

"Yes," Faker said. "In fact, she was the one who introduced Kaito to the show. She never acted her age when that show was on."

Kaito wanted to leave the room. Would have too if Haruto didn't jump on his back. "Now I see where we get it!" he said.

"Haruto," Kaito coughed. "Get off."

But Haruto didn't get off. "This is the best Christmas ever!" he said.

Kaito's heart froze for a moment. Though he tried to hide it, Faker could easily see what had happened. It would be the best Christmas ever...if their mother could attend as well. Faker gave his boys a big hug. "She's here too," he said, causing Kaito to look at the picture in his hands.

Kaito smiled a little bit and returned the family hug. "Merry Christmas," Faker said.

"Merry Christmas," Haruto said.

Kaito hesitated. "Merry Christmas."

Meanwhile, though she was not there, the Tenjo mother joined in on the hug in spirit.

* * *

**D.T.B: Ah, that was beautiful. Did you guys enjoy the oneshot?**

**Haruto: Yeah! That was fun!**

**D.T.B: So we have some questions here that you guys can answer. [Clears throat.] Why was Haruto in Kaito's room?**

**Haruto: I wanted to get the gift that Kaito got Dad.**

**Kaito: How did you even know I got it?!**

**Haruto: Bro, it's easy to know when you're hiding something. Especially when you use up your allowance a day after getting it. That, and you wrote "For Dad," in big letters. Were you trying to copy Dad's handwriting or something?**

**Kaito: [Looks away awkwardly.]**

**D.T.B: Next question: How did Haruto grow to like ****_The Sparrow_****?**

**Kaito: Yuma invited us over one weekend and Astral was watching the show. Haruto was hooked after five minutes of watching that little guy.**

**Haruto: What's wrong with that? He's cool.**

**Kaito: [Laughing a little bit.]**

**D.T.B: Next question: How did Kaito get hooked on ****_Cyborg Hunter?_**

**Kaito: Is my personal life really that important?!**

**D.T.B: Yes. Answer.**

**Kaito: *sigh * I was sick for about a week with a nasty cold. My mom came in once and took my temperature. After she said I was healthy enough to get out of bed, she added that Dad was out. **

**D.T.B: So in other words, you were suffering from a terminal case of boredom, right?**

**Kaito: [Looks at D.T.B with an irritated glare.] Anyway, my mom noticed how I was feeling and decided to watch a movie with me. That movie was ****_Cyborg Hunter._**

**Haruto: Really?!**

**Kaito: Yes.**

**D.T.B: You must have been really bored, huh?**

**Kaito: CUT THAT OUT!**

**Everybody: *Laughing too hard to say anything else.***


End file.
